Hearing rescheduled in slashing case

ENCINITAS — A parent who allegedly slashed another parent’s face with a broken bottle in a bar room fight after a school fundraiser was provoked by the victim, who shoved him and called his wife fat several times before the altercation, the man’s attorney said Nov. 6.

Chad Fuller appeared in court Monday for a preliminary hearing, but it was postponed until Nov. 20. His attorney, Paul Pfingst, spoke to a reporter after the brief court appearance to provide context to statements he made in March that the alleged victim provoked the fight.

Pfingst said that several witnesses have come forward with statements about the moments preceding the incident, which occurred March 25 at the Hilton Del Mar, the site of Capri Elementary’s Run for the Roses Spring Auction Gala.

The witnesses, who were friends with both Fuller and the victim, said that the victim — who was visibly intoxicated — had groped several women during the fundraiser and repeatedly called Fuller’s wife fat after looking at a cell phone picture that she had taken with his wife.

“He said it several times, and the witnesses said he didn’t say it in a joking manner; he was insulting her,” Pfingst said.

Fuller approached the victim to ask him about the incident when the victim shoved him, Pfingst said. Fuller then hit him with the bottle.

“It was over before it began,” Pfingst said. “Real bar fights happen in seconds.”

Fuller, a financial services attorney, faces a maximum sentence of four years in state prison on felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon and battery with serious bodily injury, but Pfingst said he doesn’t believe his client will receive prison time.

Pfingst said he hopes the witness statements will provide the district attorney with context to the incident and that the charges will be reduced to a misdemeanor.

“The question is, given the totality of the circumstances, how should this be resolved to account for the behavior of both people involved,” Pfingst said. “He was never going to jail. The issue is whether this is a felony or a misdemeanor.”

1 comment

SamSeptember 1, 2018 at 10:13 pm

Well one thing for sure, as a former client of Mr, Fuller I can say that attorney Chad Fuller has a short fuse, is a bully, has no respect for women or children and is a very dangerous bully. I would not be surprised if he has some skeletons in his closet. Maybe the reporter can look to see if Mr. Fuller has had a violent past. Regardless slashing someone’s face with a deadly weapon is a serious assault and Mr. Fuller will get away with it like he always has. These PTA people appear to be above the law.